November 29, 2011

"I don't want you to change. I just want you to live for yourself and I'm just here to support you because I love you...."
- Rich

"With you, I'll always feel like I'm in a good place. You provide a safe place for me, unlike anything I've ever known...."
- Kyla

November 28, 2011 was truly a "Beautiful Day" for local singer Kyla and professional basketball player Rich Alvarez as they finally tied the knot in Santuario de San Antonio, Forbes Park, Makati City. There were earlier talks of a December wedding for the celebrity couple but final wedding date was not disclosed until recently.

November 25, 2011

The long wait is finally over for the millions of Twilight saga fans. In The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, Bella Swan finally marries her beloved Edward Cullen.

Bella, played by Kristen Stewart, walked down the aisle in a classic wedding dress. Its fashion designer, Carolina Herrera, shared she wanted the bridal gown "to convey innocence and romance". The wedding gown's modest neckline, long sleeves and simple lines certainly showed purity while the back's see-through and intricate designs conveyed the drama and excitement of their love affair.

While the front is old-fashioned, in consideration of Edward's long history, the short train and dramatic detailing on the back of the bridal dress reflects Bella's youth and modernity.

Want to have the same Bella Swan's wedding dress? Brides-to-be can actually purchase its licensed replica through bridal gown designer Alfred Angelo.

November 8, 2011

Did Super Mario and Princess Peach finally tie the knot? Well, not in the game, but in the real-life of a couple who were inspired by the dedicated quest of Super Mario to save Princess Peach.

Esther Tanouye and Ryan Henry Watkins chose to demonstrate their nerdy love with a romantic Super Mario theme for their wedding last October 8 in California.

Designer artist Larry Quach, who is a close friend of the couple, was the one behind the video game-themed wedding. Larry said that it was the bride who wanted to kick it old school with the theme.

Larry Quach's Super Mario-themed Wedding Invitations

“When she [the bride] told me she wanted to have a Super Mario Bros (the 8 bit original specifically) themed wedding, I got super excited and asked her if I could help out in any way,” shared Larry on his blog, where he posted pictures of the game-themed wedding invitations and favors.

In designing the wedding invitations, Quach used orange envelope, “because it is one of the official wedding colors”, and grey fibrous cardstock to resemble the original gaming cartridges. The front of the cartridge bears the bride’s surname, Tanouye, instead of the Nintendo logo, and Quach replaced the official seal with the groom’s surname, “Watkins”. The cartridge also shows the date of the wedding, 10-08-11. According to Quach, “[the date] 10-08 was decided because it was [a] wordplay on the bride’s last name.”

The cartridge wedding invitation opens up to reveal wedding details and three cards, bearing some of the symbolic parts of the game – mushroom, star, and flower. The mushroom card is the RSVP postcard, the star card contains the registry information, and the flower card tells the directions to the wedding.

At the back of the cartridge invitation, the list of cautions include, "Do have and hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until game over do us part." Isn’t that geeky sweet?

Larry Quach's Super Mario-themed Wedding Favors

Quach and his team also worked hard on the game-themed wedding favors. Each guest got a little Mario box that contains the guest’s menu choice for the dinner, several fake gold coins, and a “Thank you” card in four different languages.

“[The languages represent] the different ethnic groups represented by the bride (1/2 Japanese, 1/2 Korean) and the groom (1/2 Caucasian 1/2 Mexican),” Quach explained.
With this theme, Esther and Ryan’s wedding “ended up being one of the most beautiful and fun wedding!” Truly, there is nothing more cool, awesome, romantic, and geeky than a Super Mario-themed wedding!

November 1, 2011

Bhutan’s 31-year-old king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, married the commoner daughter of an airline pilot, Jetsun Pema, in a lavish celebration at the 17th century fortified monastery in the ancient capital of Punakha. The wedding took place last October 13 and was witnessed by thousands of nomads and villagers. The isolated Himalayan nation declared a three-day national holiday to celebrate and honor the event, which showcased the country’s rich Buddhist culture. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is an Oxford graduate who assumed the crown in 2008 at the start of democracy in Bhutan. And the new queen, Jetsun Pema, who is 10 years younger than the king, is admired by the nation for her beauty and her impact on the love-struck king. The celebration, surrounded with incense and chanting of the monks, started at 8:20 in the morning, as set by royal astrologers. The king, wearing the royal yellow sash, walked into the monastery and proceeded to the high staircase inside. The purification ceremony was followed by an hour of blessings and prayers, and it culminated with the couple walking hand-in-hand and smiling brightly as the king and the new queen of Bhutan. Bhutan was captivated by the royal wedding ceremony. The people have a great reverence for the monarchy and they appreciate the royal couple’s being in love. “We know that they love each other so much,” said a high-school student who witnessed the love story of the royalty. Everyone in the country knows how much the king loves his queen. King Wangchuck has even made it clear that Queen Pema would be his only wife, a decision that is a clear-cut departure from the polygamous practice of the Wangchuck dynasty and the entire Bhutan. He also openly flaunts his affection for the queen. He holds hands with his queen and even kisses her before the entire nation! Truly, the magnificent royal wedding of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema is a fairytale epitomized. And Bhutan and the entire world wish the couple a happy ever after.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kasal.com thanks the following source for this article:

Agence France-Presse. “Bhutan’s royal wedding points to end of polygamy.” Inquirer.net. Posted on 16 October 2011. Web. Retrieved on 16 October 2011 from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/77155/bhutans-royal-wedding-points-to-end-of-polygamy